1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an intra-organization cooperation system and a commodity deal management method for realizing a transaction support of knowledge or labor which are difficult to grasp because they are scattered in a large organization, change significantly and impose a considerable load on a cooperator, without having a bad influence on a conventional style of organization based on an instruction issued by a manager.
2. Description of the Related Art
Members belonging to an organization sometimes carry out a transaction by mutually providing various items of information (such as knowledge, know-how, programs, documents etc.) and various types of labor (such as cooperation, service, maintenance etc.), without asking for the advice of a manager within a range in which they do not deviate from an original instruction from the manager.
An organization normally has a hierarchical structure as shown in FIG. 1. Circles shown in this figure (FIG. 1) indicate the members of the organization. A member at an upper location is a manager of the members at lower locations.
An actual organization is not often in such good order as that shown in FIG. 1. A manager sometimes belongs to a plurality of departments/sections, and concurrently holds a plurality of posts. Or, a manager heading members in separate or traverse departments/sections sometimes exists. However, the organization for a certain job or in a certain period may be close to that shown in this figure (FIG. 1). Considering only the relationship between a manager having strong leadership and his or her subordinate, it is approximate to the relationship shown in FIG. 1.
In an organization having such a structure, there are several methods for mutually providing various items of information and various types of labor between members.
(1) Within an organization, the provision of information or labor must be basically given via a top-down channel. Conventional organizations obey this principle.
However, an instruction is issued for large scale or high cost transactions but it is not issued for small scale or low cost transactions. For cooperation between departments/sections which are separate in an organization, a manager heading both of the departments/sections is normally in a considerably high position. Therefore, almost no instruction is issued for small scale or low cost transactions.
(2) Especially, in one department/section in an organization, one member can spontaneously provide information or labor which is helpful to another member. Even if it imposes a temporary load on the one member, it does not seem to be disadvantageous in consideration of a long-term association in the future.
However, if a request which will impose a load is made by a member who belongs to an unaffiliated department/section, or a member who will not likely be associated with again, it is difficult to accept the request. As a result, it becomes sectionalism.
(3) There is also a method for providing information or labor between members using a traverse support department/section such as an administration department or personnel or a computer center.
With this method, however, there is no corresponding or definitively responsible department/section if a transaction to be supported for the provision of the information or labor newly arises. Additionally, the transaction is not supported if a responsible department/section does not give support to be part of its responsibility.
(4) There is a method for revealing knowledge etc., of each department/section within a company owing to the recent development of a computer network within a company. This method is effective only when knowledge is revealed. This is because new labor does not occur.
With this method, however, a department or a section having certain knowledge or specialty cannot work for another department/section by spontaneously contriving a method for applying the knowledge or specialty, so as to improve the overall efficiency of an organization. This is because it is difficult to properly evaluate the case in which a department or a section to which an original duty is assigned works for another department/section for another task.
(5) Especially, when a computer network exists within a company, cooperation for another department/section, which is called volunteer work or a volunteer person, is given. The volunteer work or the volunteer person manifests the cooperation or a person who makes the cooperation by applying his or her own knowledge or specialty to another department/section.
However, since how to evaluate a volunteer person has not been determined yet, this method is limited to the case in which the number of people who participate as volunteers is small, or the case in which the load on a person who participates as a volunteer is extremely light, or a task in which volunteers are interested.
(6) There is a method for analyzing the flow of a transaction in an organization, finding a portion to which provision of information or labor is difficult by using a method called a BPR, and improving that portion, for example, by changing the organization.
With this method, however, the difficulty in the provision of information or labor cannot be found in a task (task; cooperation or an object to be provided, by applying own knowledge or specialty) which requires the provision even though its scale may not be so large, or in a task to which some members require the provision, or at the time of the occurrence of the necessity of providing the information and labor in a very short period.
(7) A joint project is sometimes carried out in a plurality of separate departments/sections. Normally, participating departments/sections have some advantages, or receive a "top-down" instruction.
However, it is difficult to participate in a department/section which has no advantage, even if the department/section at a participation destination is given an advantage.
(8) In the meantime, regarding the outside of an organization, the provision of knowledge and labor which are scattered and difficult to grasp, significantly changes, or imposes a considerable load on a cooperator, is realized with high efficiency by paying an equivalent cost.
However, if such a marketing principle is applied to an organization, a subordinate may not obey his or her manager, the working relationship deteriorates, a task which does not make a profit for some time is difficult to carry out, duplicate tasks may be developed within a company. That is, disadvantages rather than advantages exist. Therefore, the marketing principle cannot be applied to the organization as it is.
Especially, transactions in large organizations have diversified and rapidly changed in recent years.
Accordingly, the number of opportunities requiring transaction support, such as knowledge or labor which are scattered in a huge organization and difficult to grasp, cannot be coped with by changing an organization due to a rapid change, and cannot be supported by a volunteer because the considerable load imposed on a cooperator has increased.
The above described conventional technology, however, does not implement a method for coping with such a case.